Saturday Night Live Lampoons Reid Pelosi On Stimulus Plan  —  SNL skewered Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on the stimulus plan via a satire that could reflect a growing perception that might not be helpful to the Democrats.

Obama: ‘Top man on the economy’  —  “The president's top man on the economy is the president,” says Larry Summers, one of the president's top men on the economy, director of the National Economic Council.  —  “These days, everybody thinks they're economists,” President Barack Obama lamented last week …

Obama puts brake on Afghan surge  —  PRESIDENT Barack Obama has demanded that American defence chiefs review their strategy in Afghanistan before going ahead with a troop surge.  —  There is concern among senior Democrats that the military is preparing to send up to 30,000 extra troops without a coherent plan or exit strategy.

Official: Sebelius near top for health post  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was near the top of President Barack Obama's list of candidates to head the Health and Human Services Department, a senior administration official said Saturday.

Another Right-Wing Conspiracy in Washington?  —  If you're looking for a break from those conservative voices that dominate talk radio, take time out today to listen to local station OBAMA 1260 AM.  You'll hear the progressive voices of Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz, Lionel — or …

Celebrity side dish: Ann Coulter under investigation  —  Iman wants the world to stand up to Somalian pirates.  The supermodel is pained that her homeland remains so lawless that kids there can't get AIDS drugs from Keep a Child Alive's “Mother Africa” campaign.

FLY ON THE WAL  —  UNDERCOVER AT WAL-MART, THE HEARTLAND SUPERSTORE THAT MAY SAVE THE ECONOMY  —  Some people, usually community activists, loath Wal-Mart.  Others, like the family of four struggling to make ends meet, are in love with the chain.  I, meanwhile, am in awe of it.

Senator Ensign Thinks States Can Cut Back Without Cutting Anything Back  —  The single most perverse thing about the Senate version of the stimulus package is that it made big reductions in federal aid to the states.  In economic terms, this was just about the least-controversial idea you could put in a stimulus package.

The Dissenter Who Changed the War  —  As the No. 2 Commander in Iraq, Raymond Odierno Challenged the Military Establishment, Pressing for More Troops and a Long-Term Strategy to Guide Them  —  Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno was an unlikely dissident, with little in his past to suggest …

Even More McCaskill Twittering  —  As Michael noted, Claire McCaskill is now defending herself against Krugman on Twitter: … She follows that up with … And for further evidence of how much the bill is the same, she claims: … I'm glad that's she expressing herself here, and that we're able to somewhat have a dialogue.

Afghan Leader Finds Himself Hero No More  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — A foretaste of what would be in store for President Hamid Karzai after the election of a new American administration came last February, when Joseph R. Biden Jr., then a senator, sat down to a formal dinner at the palace during a visit here.

Italy in crisis over coma woman  —  The Italian government has been plunged into a constitutional crisis over the fate of a 38-year-old woman who has been in a coma for the past 17 years.  Eluana Englaro was left in a vegetative state after a car crash in 1992.

We Are All Socialists Now  —  In many ways our economy already resembles a European one.  As boomers age and spending grows, we will become even more French.

Reporting in Real Time  —  LAST Wednesday, The Times lifted the curtain on the origins of a nasty political attack against Caroline Kennedy, who had sought appointment to Hillary Clinton's Senate seat and then withdrew for unexplained “personal reasons.”  —  The newspaper said that Gov …